Descent
by emberslash
Summary: Snapshots of Azula's fall from Ty Lee's eyes. She reiterates her promises with desperation.
1. The Beach (reprise)

Ty Lee laid on her back and absently tossed a rock between her feet, humming a soft tune while she waited for Azula to say something. She could tell by the fire princess's aura that the smoothing magic of the beach hadn't exactly finished with Azula.

No problem. Ty Lee had all the time in the world. Besides, it had been awhile since they had last gotten a chance to be alone like this. Mai and Zuko had left awhile ago, and when Azula had shown no intentions of leaving just yet, Ty Lee opted to stay behind as well, no questions asked.

"Ty Lee, must you hum so incessantly like that while I'm thinking?" Azula said, her voice not nearly as sharp as usual.

Ty Lee giggled. "Sorry, Azula. I didn't know you could hear me." She let the smooth rock drop into the sand and swiftly sat up. For awhile, she watched the waves gently swish against the shore and reveled in the warm breeze that passed like soft breaths. Overall, tonight had been a good night. In fact, the whole day had been fun. From letting those silly boys be nice to her on the beach to playing volleyball with Azula to attending the party with Azula and eventually crashing the party with Azula, Ty Lee had definitely enjoyed herself. She had even taught the princess to play that game that makes helpless boys do nice things for you. Ty Lee smiled at the thought and cast her gaze on Azula, who sat with her arms crossed and stared in the dim embers of the fire pit. Ty Lee hugged her knees to her chest and watched, waiting patiently for the princess's signal. She frowned a bit as she observed Azula's aura unevenly flow around her. It was a brilliant blue, just as brilliant as Azula's firebending, but recently the black spot that had marred it since childhood had spread and distorted the shape. Likewise, Azula became more ferociously determined in her conquests, rivaling her father's ambition in almost every way.

As a result, these quiet moments between Ty Lee and Azula had grown less frequent, especially with the Fire Lord's pressure to capture the Avatar already. The princess could do it, no doubt, but it seemed that the more she exerted her power, the larger that spot grew and the edgier Azula became. But none of that could deter Ty Lee. After all, she knew well enough what made it grow in the first place and she was determined to not be yet another factor in its development.

Someone had to be all smiles for the princess, even if Azula never showed her appreciation in the most obvious manner.

"Don't try to hide it from me, Ty Lee. I can tell you loved being the center of attention at that party. Chan would probably welcome you back with open arms if any piece of his house was still intact."

Ty Lee jumped at the iciness in her voice and cocked her head. "But I wouldn't want to. Everything is more fun when you're around. Besides, he kicked you out and no one should treat the fire princess that way, even if she's kind of in disguise."

Azula sighed and dug her bare feet in the sand. "Please, I know you agree with whatever I say just because I say it. You must also agree with what my mother thinks of me. You just never complain when I tell you what to do."

Of course that was it. When everything else about Azula was stripped away, that was the very thing remaining. In so many ways, it was the start of everything. Ty Lee didn't strictly recall ever hearing Ursa call her daughter a monster, but she had been with Azula on enough of these introspective trips to know that it had to have happened more than once for it to keep surfacing like this.

"Come on, Azula. Why would you think that?"

"You are so fickle. You just love being any place where you can get attention. All those boys loved you. You were having fun and I made you help me destroy that party. You act like you did it out of loyalty, but I know how you really think."

The comment stung Ty Lee just as a similar one had earlier that night, but she kept herself together, reminding herself that everything Azula said right now was coming from that place the black spot on her aura forced her into. Ty Lee had to push through it like she always did.

So, she approached Azula and sat in front of her. "I told you before that you're the prettiest, smartest, most perfect girl in the world. You know I can't lie about that stuff." None of this was actually about the party at all.

Azula turned away. "Of course you're still right about those things, but you make no sense. Not that I'm complaining about your undying loyalty. It's expected, but…"

Smiling, Ty Lee crawled between Azula's legs and straddled her. The princess accommodated her readily enough, resting her hands on Ty Lee's thighs. "You're kidding, right?" Ty Lee said, tilting Azula's head toward her. "I've never ever lied to you, Azula. Not ever." She planted a gentle kiss on Azula's forehead.

"I kissed Chan."

Ty Lee leaned back a little. The statement didn't totally register. "What?"

"I took your advice about laughing at his jokes and it worked, sort of."

"I thought you were just playing a game," Ty Lee said, her voice low and her heart beating fast. Panic threatened to overwhelm her and her chest tightened, but again, she tried to keep herself together. "I didn't think–you know you don't need those boys' attention, right? You know what Mai said isn't true."

Azula sighed. "Like I told you back then, I was jealous. You were literally surrounded by boys all day today from the beach to the party. You make it look like you'll please anyone just for attention and I thought you'd…so I just asked you to tell me the rules of your own game, basically."

Typical Azula, always calculating the best advantage. But Ty Lee couldn't pretend that it didn't hurt. "You wanted revenge for something I didn't even do."

"This is why I don't understand how you're still around."

Ty Lee wrapped her arms around Azula and rested her head on her shoulder. Something twisted and snapped inside of her and she felt the pinkness of her mood fade into a dull red. Then the tears came even though she didn't want them to. Azula would get the wrong idea.

"I can't help but destroy everything around me," said Azula. "Either you can deal with that or you can't."

"No, I'd never leave you. I can't," Ty Lee said, her voice shaking. "You've had too much of that already but–" she couldn't speak anymore. She hated these terrible states that made Azula paranoid enough to protect herself like that, and what hurt the most was knowing that it came from a deep pain that not even Ty Lee could fully understand after all these years.

"But you'll have to eventually. Even you have your limits, Ty Lee. Don't pretend I don't know that you're not as patient as you seem."

"No." Ty Lee took a few deep breaths and then lifted her head. "If the same thing keeps happening to you, of course you'll get worse. I'm always trying to tell you that you're not a monster because how can you be? We're still just kids and I would never do anything like this to you. I'm not going anywhere, okay?" She resumed her crying in earnest. "I didn't leave the circus for nothing. I wish you didn't feel so scared."

At last, Azula returned Ty Lee's embrace and pulled her closer. She gently rubbed Ty Lee's back and Ty Lee relaxed. Even when the tears stopped, Azula kept massaging her back.

"Ty Lee."

"Hmm?"

"I still don't understand. You should be furious with me. You should have stormed off or yelled at me or something."

Ty Lee gave her a small smile. "You don't understand love very well." She ran her fingers through Azula's wavy black hair. It was rare for her to wear it loose like this and it framed her sharp features so nicely. "I guess I don't either because you're right. I should be so mad at you right now." She stared into Azula's golden eyes and felt herself melting. "I just can't ever leave you behind. I know you too well. I know every single thing you've been through. I've heard every story about another family member calling you crazy. I know about the things your mother said to you. I–"

Azula pressed her hand on Ty Lee's chest. "Stop it."

But Azula needed to know and Ty Lee needed to tell her. "Look at me." She knew what Azula feared most. Empty promises. Absolute phrases that then lose their meaning the second Azula becomes too much to handle.

Azula hesitated, so Ty Lee tilted her chin upward. "Listen very, very carefully, okay? Remember that I told you I've never lied to you. I think now it's time for me to actually say this and mean it, so I need you to understand that I'm being totally serious right now." Ty Lee felt a knot in her stomach, which was silly since she had been with Azula for so long. Her heart drummed in her chest and she felt a little faint from the heat, but she had Azula's full attention.

"I love you. All of you. I just want you to be happy. I think a lot of bad things have happened to you and that's not fair. I think too many people have given up on you who shouldn't have."

"Don't," Azula said softly, her eyes losing their typical hardness. "How am I supposed to–what if–"

Ty Lee kissed her passionately, hoping that maybe, finally she had broken through. "No what ifs, okay?"

Azula responded in kind with a desperation Ty Lee hadn't expected, but one that saddened her nonetheless. She broke away from Azula briefly and held her as closely as she could. "I'm not letting you go. Not willingly."

Azula smirked and suddenly leaned forward, pushing Ty Lee on her back. Ty Lee laughed and clung to her, their legs intertwined. "What are you doing?"

"Your devotion is so charming," Azula said and laced her fingers with Ty Lee's. "That's the first time anyone's told me something like that."

"Well, it's true. I've always felt that way, you know?"

Azula didn't say anything. She just returned to kissing the acrobat deeply.

"Do you love me?" Ty Lee said at length.

"I suppose," said Azula, "as much as I can." She sucked on Ty Lee's neck, then kissed her way up to the girl's cheek. Ty Lee giggled and squirmed involuntarily.

"It's true that I'm going crazy, though."

At this, Ty Lee removed her hands from Azula's and wrapped her arms around the princess's waist, pulling her down closer. "But you don't have to, right? You can get better."

"It's slowly consuming me. I want power and nothing more. Everything needs to burn. Everything."

As Azula spoke, her eyes widened and a creepy smile stretched across her face. "The Avatar must die and the Fire Nation must reign supreme for all eternity!"

Ty Lee cupped Azula's face in her hands. "Azula, listen to me."

But Azula's eyes were still wild and she continued her speech. "Every last miserable peasant on this earth will rue the day they resisted the Fire Nation!"

"Azula, stop!"

Azula suddenly shook her head, but her smile remained. "Do you see what I mean?" she said in almost a whisper. "I can't keep it down for much longer."

Ty Lee sighed and returned her hands to Azula's waist. "And there's nothing anyone can do?"

"No. It won't stop. That's why…that's why I need to ask you a favor."

"Anything, babe."

"I don't know how far this will go, but I do know that I won't be able to stop myself, so," she gave Ty Lee a subtle pleading look, but Ty Lee knew how serious she was, "when I reach that point when I won't come back, leave me before I kill you."

The thought almost sent Ty Lee into another panic. "Come on, don't say stuff like that. Please."

"Ty Lee, right now I'm asking you. Don't make me command it of you."

"I don't want to leave you. Not ever."

"I'm telling you this for your own good. You should be shocked I can even manage some empathy at this point. Be grateful, even, that I'm telling you how to survive against me. The sooner you cut yourself off, the better your life will be."

Ty Lee tucked Azula's hair behind her ears. "I can't believe you still don't get it. There isn't a single reason why I'd leave you. Even thinking about it hurts, so don't–don't–"

Azula leaned down and kissed Ty Lee, pressing her entire body against her. It was her typical way of keeping the girl quiet. "Thank you," she said in a short break and kissed her again, this time with more ferocity. Ty Lee let Azula take control, responding just as passionately, savoring every breath from Azula that entered her lungs.

Ty Lee relished these moments–these brief interruptions in the constant battles and war strategies that their lives were slowly becoming. Most of all, Azula was better at expressing herself with actions rather than words. She felt both Azula's strength and her delicacy–her ferocity and her tenderness.

At length, they fell asleep in each other's arms beneath the stars with the waves crashing gently behind them. Ty Lee's head was tucked under Azula's chin and she could hear the princess's steady heartbeat.

Nothing in the world could've made Ty Lee feel pinker.


	2. The Boiling Rock (reprise)

Ty Lee didn't think about stepping in between Mai and Azula, but in the act she felt so strangely outside of herself that she couldn't believe she had actually done it. Mai was trapped and the princess was actually going to kill her if Ty Lee didn't step in. She came to realize with each pointed jab that the worst had come to be–-that what Azula had said on the beach was true and Ty Lee had been a fool for trying to ignore it and push it away like she did with everything else.

In battle, she had watched Azula grow ever more merciless and her aura reflected that. But a sizable section of blue remained, one that Ty Lee hoped she could somehow nurture back to life. She certainly didn't expect the princess's growing darkness to propel her to attack one of her best friends with the intent to kill.

Did she see that Mai was acting out of love? Did she see that the morose girl had finally expressed enough of her emotions to throw her stars with precision at the very soldiers who protected them all for the sake of not letting the person she loved fall to his death in this forsaken sulfuric lake? It had nothing to do with Azula, but, like everything, Azula made it about her in the end.

Ty Lee knew the difference between Azula's disdainful glare and her murderous glare. The second the princess had flashed the latter one at Mai, Ty Lee had no choice unless she wanted to live the rest of her life knowing that she could've saved Mai, but didn't.

_"The sooner you leave me, the better your life will be,"_ Azula had said and Ty Lee had shaken her head defiantly, telling her to stop and kissing her under the soft moonlight on the beach, feeling so pink and thinking that just her promises were enough to revert something that Ty Lee could only see, never fix.

The princess's limbs went unnaturally limp in seconds and Ty Lee backed off, but as the guards seized her and Mai, the acrobat saw a fierceness in Azula's eyes that she had never seen before, one that immediately made her want to apologize. Azula remembered what she had said on the beach, right? She told Ty Lee that the time would come and this would have to happen, even though Ty Lee promised that it never would.

The intense gaze that passed between them lasted only seconds, but stretched on for eternity. Ty Lee, always the more emotive one, tried to speak without speaking.

But in that moment, Azula's aura grew blacker and wilder. Her pink lips pursed and quivered with an unadulterated hatred that threatened to tear Ty Lee in half right then. Mai's actions were, in a sense, predictable as her heart had been devoted to the prince. Ty Lee, on the other hand, had no such excuse as her object of devotion was the one she had just rendered temporarily powerless.

"Put them somewhere I'll never have to see their faces again," Azula declared. "And let them rot."

That had been hours ago. The guards were noticeably awkward about imprisoning their warden's niece and a member of Fire Nation nobility, so they had placed both girls in a larger cell usually reserved for incompetent soldiers as a temporary punishment. Instead of a tightly sealed door with a solitary window, a more traditional gate of solid iron contained them.

She and Mai sat in silence, not that Mai seemed to mind. She was never one to talk much anyway and what was even left to say? Ty Lee knelt before the bars and leaned her forehead against the cold metal, replaying everything in her mind and thinking that maybe Azula would walk by one last time before returning to the Fire Nation. In her memories, she tried to see all the signs she blatantly ignored and the pain she tried to heal with promises and gentle kisses. She thought she still had more time to reverse it all, but now she had lost all confidence that she possessed that ability to begin with. Maybe, if Azula passed by just once more, Ty Lee could explain to her that everything she had ever promised her was still true, even now.

But the prison halls remained empty.

The tears came from her silently and dripped on her clenched fists. Her body quivered and she gritted her teeth to control her sobs. She didn't want Mai to hear her and make some snide comment. Not now. Not today. The only comfort she had was that at least Mai was still alive, but that didn't stop Ty Lee from feeling like she'd failed the princess and like she'd failed herself.

"I guess I should thank you for what you did back there," said Mai.

Ty Lee jumped and looked at her friend, who coolly sat in the back corner of the cell, leaning against the wall. The dim firelight in the prison cast shadows on her face that made her look creepier than usual.

She spoke slowly, trying to mask the fact that she had been crying. "Azula would've–I mean, I'd do the same for her too if–" Cruelly, her thoughts projected the image of Azula's spiteful glare while her body recalled how desperately the princess had clung to her on the beach. It was all falling into place now. Azula didn't show it, but she believed Ty Lee–-trusted her in a way she couldn't trust anyone else. Silently, Azula had accepted Ty Lee's promise as truth, a truth that, in her eyes, turned out to be a lie. But surely protecting Mai wasn't the same as betraying Azula?

Yes, Mai was alive, but Ty Lee may as well have been dead. She couldn't control herself anymore and collapsed on the floor, not caring what attention her helpless cries brought her. With every sharp breath, she inhaled the dank smell of the cement floor, grabbing her stomach and making herself as small as she could.

She jumped again as Mai's hand gently patted her head.

"This is really tearing you up, isn't it?" Mai said, her voice its usual monotone.

Ty Lee tried to speak, but nothing came out except incomprehensible noises.

"Well, I think you did the right thing." She sighed. "Look, I know you and Azula were close, but she went too far this time. I get trying to imprison Zuko because he's a traitor, but she was ready to kill him herself that easily. Not even the Firelord would do that."

Mai found it too easy to choose sides and no doubt Zuko's influence led her to believe that Azula was beyond help, that she even had control of herself at this point. Neither of them knew the little girl all alone in the courtyard, watching her mother dote on the prince while she had to fight for a simple reprimand.

"You don't understand," Ty Lee said feebly. "I love her."

"Sure you do. I love her too and so does Zuko, but–-"

"No." She picked herself up slowly, the words heavy on her tongue, ready to speak the secret she and Azula had kept so well-hidden from anyone else, but there was no point in hiding anymore. "I love her like you love Zuko."

"Oh," Mai said softly. Although Ty Lee couldn't see her face, she felt the tension between them rise. Mai had no idea, but now she was searching her own memories and suddenly it all came together. "That makes it all more complicated, doesn't it."

Ty Lee nodded, her tears finally relenting, at least for now. "I know she's sick, Mai. She always has been. But the people who weren't supposed to turn away from her did. Every last one. That made it worse."

"Yeah, I do remember some of that."

"She told me everything. Every last thing. She always pretended not to hear what her mother said about her. Monster. Heartless. Crazy. Zuko and her uncle said she was crazy too. Of course, Azula still tortured him and her father basically praised her for it which just made things worse."

"I always tried to be neutral, personally. She was mean to me, too."

Ty Lee knew that was a lie. For Mai, there was no such thing as being neutral when the choice was between Zuko and Azula. However, she didn't have the energy to press the issue. "I always knew there was something behind it. Her aura revealed it-–this small black spot where everything else was stable and blue. I know you think I'm just making stuff up, but I see it all the time. Have you ever seen Azula cry before?"

"Can't say that I have."

"It turns the world upside down. You never see how much she's holding in. But when you do, it's…heavy. The worst time was just before her mother left. She had given Azula a huge lecture that basically boiled down to her saying, 'What's wrong with you? It's like you're possessed! How can you be such a monster? You don't care about anyone but yourself. You're almost as bad as your father.'"

"Well, you know, all of that stuff _is_ true."

Ty Lee could've slapped her right then. That wasn't what Azula needed. "No one else could see her aura except me, so they thought she was like that on purpose. She's not. Something has been taking over her since we were little and instead of trying to help or understand her, everyone has blamed her for it. Azula cried for at least an hour. Then her mom left and she resented her while also blaming herself. I know she's not perfect, Mai. I know she's done some of the most terrible things in the whole world, but I promised I wouldn't be another person she can't trust anymore, someone who left her just because she can't stop herself. I promised, but now she thinks I'm a traitor. She hates me."

"Not much we can do about it now other than trying to stop her from killing everyone."

Ty Lee turned and glared at Mai. "Do you always have to say things like that? One of your best friends almost killed you today and you're talking about her like she's someone you just met off the street! Why can't you ever care about something for once!"

"Oh trust me. I care a lot that _your_ girlfriend almost killed _my _boyfriend and then almost killed me. The only way to stop her is to actually, you know, stop her."

"So you're saying we actually betray her?"

"According to her, we already have."

Ty Lee didn't respond and returned to staring out into the hall. Fully betraying Azula meant joining the Avatar, of course (or at least the Earth Kingdom), which she wouldn't have a problem with if she still didn't believe in all the things she had told Azula on Ember Island-–if everything didn't feel safe and warm in those private moments when Azula let down her guard for just a few minutes and held her without saying anything-–if she hadn't watched warily over the years as Azula's aura became more and more distorted. For the longest time, Ty Lee believed she could slow its progress or maybe even fix it, but even beneath all of that, there was the simple fact of Azula's inescapable pull which held onto her more than anyone else.

The ocean crashed relentlessly against the cliff and a constant, salty breeze slowly loosened the strands in Ty Lee's braid. Azula had followed her here, said some words, and pressed her up against a rock to confirm what had only been her wildest fantasies. Only Ty Lee had ever known the princess's gentle side.

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of faint footsteps echoing off the prison walls. When had she even fallen asleep? But she was alert now and there was no mistaking the sound and the pattern–-the walk of Fire Nation royalty and a particular way of movement that she had grown used to hearing after all these years. Ty Lee's heart pounded in her chest and her mind raced with everything she wanted to–-everything she _had_ to say. She sprung to her feet and clung to the prison bars, not caring how desperate she appeared.

Azula approached from the left with two guards on either side of her. She walked with the regality expected of her and stared straight ahead, her face expressing nothing in particular.

"Azula," Ty Lee said. "Please listen to me for a second."

Azula walked past without so much as a glance and Ty Lee felt a sick twisting in her stomach. "Everything I have ever said to you is true. Do you understand me? Everything." Her voice cracked and she held back her tears as best as she could because there was still too much left to say. "I said I'd always stay with you and I am, but you asked me to do this! You asked me to stop you when you couldn't control yourself anymore! You've put me in a position where I have to stop you so you won't kill anyone else or get killed yourself. You told me everything and I listened and I remembered and there is no way I'm never coming back to you!"

Azula showed no signs of even noticing Ty Lee's existence. Her aura was nearly all black with asymmetrical edges jutting out in every direction and then receding. Somewhere deep inside, Ty Lee knew that she had lost her long ago.

"I'm coming back to you! I promise!" she shouted at Azula's back, but she might as well have been shouting at the empty walls in the cell. She gripped the bars as the heaviness crushed her. "Come on, say something," she said between quick breaths, trying to keep herself together enough to speak. "Say something. You have to say something. You can't just pretend that nothing ever happened-–that we never happened. I know you know I'm not lying!"

But not a word came from Azula's mouth. She didn't even slow her pace. Ty Lee let herself collapse again and felt the full force of a thousand needles ripping through her and making it difficult to breathe. She methodically begged Azula to turn around, but spoke barely above a whisper–a pointless effort.

Suddenly, she sensed a shadow in front of her and looked up to see Azula staring directly into her eyes.

"You have three seconds to tell me why I should ever trust you again, and don't you dare scream and cry at me like you have been. Convince me that you're nothing like my mother or uncle or idiot brother."

"I–" _Say it again_, she told herself.

"Three."

"I–" _Say it as many times as you have to until she believes it._

"Two."

"Azula, I–" _Tell her the truth no matter what she might say._

"One."

"I love you and I hate that this is happening to you and I wish I wasn't the only one who's ever said that to you."

A prolonged silence hung over them, much like the one they exchanged only a few hours before. Ty Lee waited with bated breath for a response that might never come. She felt sick.

"Hmm, well then," Azula said and stood.

She walked away without another word.


	3. Sozin's Comet (Reprise)

Since being released from prison, Ty Lee kept her distance from the war despite Mai's advice. No matter what she tried, she couldn't bring herself to actively be Azula's enemy. She'd have to find a more covert way to act.

Ty Lee found it odd that no one had thought to repair all the old crawl spaces in the castle, especially since Ty Lee was the one who'd found them all throughout the years. But she was glad for the chance to silently swing and tumble across beams and through old passageways that had long since been forgotten. It let her see her princess again, even if only from the shadows.

Not that the site ever relieved her.

Azula both fired and banished servants every five minutes, blaming this one for trying to kill her or that one for giving her a strange look. No one was spared, not even harmless Lo and Li. The more she banished, the emptier the palace became and the more room Azula had to pace.

And pace.

And pace.

The princess took to mumbling to herself, pulling at her hair, and then laughing. Days or weeks could've passed. It didn't matter. Ty Lee could only watch and wait for an opening that, as time progressed, she accepted would never come. The princess's aura was now irrevocably distorted and the girl she once knew disappeared, descending into the twisted net of festering conflicts surfacing at last.

Intuition told Ty Lee to stay back despite herself. She at least understood that if Azula saw her again, it could send her over the edge. Even from the rafters, Ty Lee could feel her aura's heaviness and what disturbed her most was how much stronger the princess's pull had become. She spent hours in the shadows and felt the growing space of the palace until Azula was the only one left.

The worst and last of Ty Lee's excursions ended with her standing just outside of Azula's room, listening to her shout at her mother.

"You always babied him and never scolded him for anything while I was nothing but a monster to you! I heard you tell him not to listen to me because there was something wrong with me! You might as well have said it to my face! What did you expect when father was the only one who ever said he was proud of me?"

A series of crashes followed, like Azula was literally breaking her room, tearing it down in chaotic swipes. Even from the other side of the wall, Ty Lee felt the princess's smothering aura as it released things Azula didn't even realize herself until now.

"Don't you dare call me beautiful now! Look at me! I'm a monster just like you said! Shut up!"

The heaviness flooded over everything and Ty Lee felt sick.

Azula's ranting became indecipherable screams and sobs. It took all of Ty Lee's willpower to not break through the door that second. She'd gather the broken princess in her arms and hold her until she calmed down, just like when they were children. She'd kiss Azula's forehead and gently stroke her hair and tell her that she never left; she was always right here.

But the memories of the Boiling Rock held her back. Never had the princess looked at anyone with such hatred–and Ty Lee had seen more that her fair share of Azula's dirty looks. Azula was never one to let go of a grudge and as she continued her ravings, Ty Lee heard her name more than once.

In such a rage, what would she do if she saw Ty Lee–if she knew that she stood just on the other side of the door? To Azula, Ty Lee had made her choice.

Something shattered–maybe glass or a mirror–and Azula kept screaming.

Ty Lee took several deep breaths.

She had lost completely. Azula was gone and Ty Lee shouldered all the guilt–all the princess's rage. She allowed the weight to press down on her and her mind showed her everything she could've been for Azula–everything she should've been.

She pressed her head against the wall and whispered softly, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

After forcing herself to pull away, Ty Lee left and made no further effort to see the princess.

She found herself walking into the empty town square in the Fire Nation capitol, ultimately unable to escape what drew her there. She berated herself for her weakness while anticipating the reunion. The familiar palace loomed just ahead, the sun casting a molten glow on the golden edged roof.

The fight for the crown had definitely taken place here. Gaping holes punctured the surrounding buildings and almost every stone surface bore deep cracks. Even the air still carried the scent of fire and lightning.

Lightning.

Ty Lee had sensed the princess's aura–overwhelming, desperate, and flailing–and followed it here despite everything she had told herself. No matter what distractions she filled her mind with, her thoughts would always wander back to Azula and something inexplicably strong compelled her to finally let the princess see her face.

Perhaps it was her need to be absolved or punished just as Azula was being punished. Ty Lee had known more and better than anyone else and, she now realized, somewhere between school days, courtyard play dates, oceans, and beaches, she had chosen to descend with the princess. Every kiss was another tangle in a web that dragged them both downward while tying them closer together.

Ty Lee allowed herself a short laugh at the thought.

Across the square, she sat with her head low and her arms in chains. Her black aura spun wildly around her. Every few seconds, she would squirm and yank at her restraints only to groan in frustration and let her limbs hang limp again. Leaving her alone like this, actually, was the perfect punishment for her. Maybe a little too perfect.

Hesitantly, Ty-Lee made her approach.

Azula's hair fell in jagged pieces across her face, entirely undone. Half of it had been hastily chopped off in the front. She panted and growled like a caged beast as she tried to free herself three more times before Ty Lee was close enough to say anything.

Oddly enough, Azula noticed her first. "What are you doing here?" she spat. "Didn't I leave you to rot in prison like the rest of them?"

Ty Lee sat cross-legged in front of Azula. "You did. It's all over now, so I came back." _Keep it simple_.

Azula glared at her through the uneven strands of hair. "You're an idiot."

Ty Lee stared, words forming in her mouth but unable to come into existence.

"I don't need Zuko's pity or yours," the princess said bitterly. "You're trying to get back into my good graces now that it's convenient for you again."

"You can't make your punishment any worse. They'll lock you up somewhere for sure." Ty Lee reached forward and cupped Azula's chin in her hand. "I'm gonna make sure they treat you well. I'm gonna make them understand."

Azula deepened her glared and suddenly spit a stream of blue fire from her mouth, which Ty Lee barely dodged.

"I said I don't need your pity!"

That was the first time Azula directly attacked her. Ty Lee tried not to let her fear show.

"Azula, just–remember all those times in the courtyard when it was just the two of us. Remember the beach and all of our lunch breaks at the Royal Fire Nation Academy." _Please, anything._

"Oh trust me, I remember everything, Ty Lee. Every last thing you told me that turned out to be a lie!" Azula release another fire breath and Ty Lee rolled out of the way.

"If I actually didn't care about you, do you think I would've come here at all?" She was shouting now, begging for some semblance of the relative peace they once had.

"I don't know. Do you expect me to be able to read the tiny thoughts in that scattered brain of yours?"

"Azula, stop it!"

"No, you stop it, Ty Lee! You're the one who said a thousand times that you'd never leave and then you did!"

"I never left you! I was just stopping you from killing Mai and you were the one who decided I was betraying you!"

"Then where were you on the day of my coronation?"

Ty Lee went rigid as she recalled the princess's hysteria on that day, the break down she watched from the shadows.

"You betrayed me and disappeared on my most glorious day and yet you expect me to believe that you never left?"

"Azula–"

"You come crawling back to me now that everything's over and it's safe for you to surface? You're a coward, Ty Lee!"

"I–" _I was there. I saw everything. I heard everything. I'm sorry._

"If I could break out of these chains right now, you'd be dead on sight."

Ty Lee's throat tightened, but she wouldn't cry. Not this time. She couldn't afford to sink further into Azula's image of her. But maybe all of this was futile. Even now, her fear held her back from telling Azula where she had really been that time and every time after her release from prison. Ty Lee thought she had long ago accepted her inability to fix anything for Azula, yet she still acted as if something could change. In the moment of truth, she remained silent under the princess's judging glare, feeling to her core the cutting truth. The look the princess gave her right now was one of pure hatred.

But Ty Lee saw all the hurt thrown back at her, the hurt she had caused.

"When I told you I was slipping, you promised you'd stay with me in spite of that and you didn't," Azula said, her voice low.

"I tried to be different," Ty Lee said defeated and fearlessly walked toward Azula. She crouched behind her and set to work untangling the chains.

"What are you doing?"

"Setting you free. Don't struggle. You can make good on your promise as soon as I'm done."

"You're an idiot."

Ty Lee winced at the comment and bit her lip to keep the sobs from rising. "You might be ready to throw away all the years that we've known each other, but I'm not," she said once she could speak again. "If you're mad at me, you can take it out on me." _If this is how you'll be forever, I'd rather it be this way._

Azula didn't respond. When the chains went slack, Ty Lee backed away and stood only a few feet from the princess.

"You've made a huge mistake," Azula said as she rose to her feet.

"Maybe. But you hate me now. You really hate me. I know you do. I can see it. I still love you and it hurts too much. If you have to get revenge on every person who should've stayed with you, then just take it out on me." _You're already gone. We might as well go together._

Azula hesitated and the two of them stared in silence at each other.

"If that's your death wish, then I'd be happy to oblige," Azula said at last and extended her fingers, taking the stance she used to bend lightning.

Ty Lee took a deep breath and kept her arms at her sides. "This isn't you, Azula. I know it's not really you and that's why this is okay. That thing in your brain completely took you over and made you into this. Somewhere deep inside of you, the Azula that you used to be is still there, but no matter how hard I try I can't bring her back."

Lightning sparked between Azula's fingers and Ty Lee could already feel it buzz through her body.

"I want that Azula to know that I heard everything she yelled at her mother in the mirror. I watched her decent from afar and I felt it too."

Azula pointed directly at Ty Lee's chest, ready to strike.

Ty Lee closed her eyes and braced herself. The electricity drowned out all other sounds.

_I knew you best_, she thought, _and if I can't know you anymore, then there's nothing left for me._

Suddenly, there was a loud thud. Seconds later, Ty Lee felt a stinging blast hit her left shoulder. The force knocked her back into a pillar and she slumped to the ground.

She was vaguely aware of some voices.

Shouting.

Weapons drawn.

Fighting.

But she could only see blurred figures meeting and parting again. She tried staying awake just to get a sense of what was going on–of who was even fighting Azula right now.

Then the pain surged through the entire left half of her body and her ears rang. She writhed and screamed, but could hardly hear herself. The right side of her hurt less, but felt numb and prickly. Even the smallest twitch increased the pain, so she remained still and after a few more seconds, blacked out.

Something familiar held her, but she was too dazed to determine what. She felt something wet on her face–was that crying? Her entire body ached and she wanted to go back to sleep to stop the pain.

Mumbled words. Whoever said them felt sorry about something, maybe.

She opened her eyes for a few seconds, long enough to see Azula's face, or at least the parts her thick hair didn't obscure. At least, she thought that's what she saw, but she quickly slipped back into unconsciousness.

Whether it was real or a wishful illusion, Ty Lee, for the first time in months, felt weightless. Whenever and wherever she woke up again, it would all be over.


	4. Epilogue

The guard led Ty Lee through the prison to Azula's isolated cell. The deeper they went, the darker and more disheveled the prison became.

It had been almost two months since the war ended and Ty Lee spent most of that time healing from Azula's attack, thanks to that Water Tribe girl Katara. The only remnants of her injuries were slightly impaired hearing on her left side and a scar that ran from her shoulder to her stomach.

She thought about not coming here–about never seeing Azula again–but she was helplessly compelled. If anything, it would probably be the last time Ty Lee would try to reach her.

At last they came to a thick metal door and the guard opened a series of locks. "You have an hour," he said as he pulled it back.

Azula sat in the corner, her limbs shackled with chains. She was asleep, or at least had her eyes closed, but the light streaming inside roused her. Ty Lee stepped inside and the guard shut the door. Now, the only light came from a small cutaway in the door.

Her hair was matted and her clothes torn and her face still stone cold, but she was there and the small traces of guilt in her expression where enough for Ty Lee. She could feel it, too. Some of the blueness in the princess's aura had returned.

So maybe Ty Lee hadn't been hallucinating. Without a word, she sat next to Azula, but Azula wouldn't look at her.

"Well, you seem to be doing alright," the princess said. "I thought that maybe you would've been. . .worse."

"Well, I'm not thanks to Mai and an expert healer."

"I'm glad she stopped me, but I still thought I'd–" she quivered and grabbed at her hair. She always cried silently, even if front of Ty Lee.

"You were so ready to kill me."

"I know."

"You hated me and pushed me away no matter what I did."

"I know." Azula hugged her knees. "Why did you even bother coming here?"

Ty Lee sighed. "Same reason why I quit the circus to join you in the first place. I'm drawn to you, Azula. It's always been that way and I can't explain it." She wrapped her arms around Azula and tucked the girl's head under her chin. "There's no logical reason why I should be here. Not after everything that happened. But here I am. I don't think I could leave you even if I tried."

Azula returned Ty Lee's embrace and Ty Lee kissed her head. "I'm sorry about everything. There's no way I can even begin to make it up to you."

Ty Lee lifted Azula's chin and brushed the hair away from her face. "Just get better. I'm working on convincing Zuko to move you somewhere else. Prison won't help you."

Azula pulled her close and Ty Lee could sense her desperation. She wanted Ty Lee to stay with her and a large part of Ty Lee wanted to stay too.

"But, you know, things can't be like they were before for us," said Ty Lee, tracing her fingers over Azula's stomach. "You would've killed me if Mai didn't stop you. I'm afraid of you getting to that point again."

"That's why I'm still surprised you're here. Surprised, but glad." Azula cradled Ty Lee like she always did and kept her arms around her waist. "Remember the first time I kissed you and how jittery you were even though I knew you wanted it?"

Ty Lee laughed nervously and her mind flashed the scene behind the waterfall. Azula had pressed her against a stone wall with one hand and caressed the end of her braid with the other. "Yeah, how could I forget?"

"You relaxed rather quickly."

"I didn't see it coming, honestly, and then suddenly. . ." Azula had left almost no space between them. First their foreheads touched and then their lips. The contact was surprisingly soft and sweet.

"Well, I'm never one for words when it comes to these things. You know that."

They stayed like that for the rest of their time together and when Ty Lee sensed the guard's presence, she stirred and pulled away from Azula a little. "I have to go, but I'll be back."

Azula gave her a pleading look. "Promise?"

Ty Lee's face softened and she sighed. That look always got her. Always. She leaned in and kissed Azula deeply. "Promise."

There was a loud click and the door creaked open. Ty Lee walked out and looked back at the princess one last time before the guard shut it again. Yet another promise that she would try as hard as she could to keep. She would be Azula's sole advocate if she had to because even a peaceful new world might have little sympathy for someone who truly could've been a fearsome tyrant. Although things were far from perfect, neither she nor Azula could descend any farther.

The only direction from here was up.

End.

* * *

A/N: Stay tuned for a one-shot prequel called "Behind the Waterfall" and a double-shot sequel called "The Last Night."


End file.
